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Savory Beef Pot Pie with Cheddar Stout Crust

One word: Epic. You will not be able to get enough of this beef pot pie’s cheddar crust, it is just unbelievable! I think I specifically made this dish just so I could nibble at the crust’s edges when it came out of the oven.

There are multiple layers where stout was used in this recipe: from the beef to the stout au jus, to the cheddar-filled crust. Note: Don’t throw the juices out once your beef is done cooking in your crockpot. The thick stout makes for a killer au jus once it has cooked amongst the fattiness of the beef for hours. This savory beef pot pie is the perfect dish to warm you up on these chilly winter nights.

You will want to make the beef first. In a crockpot set to medium-high, place the beef in and pour a bottle of stout over the beef. Let this cook for about 2 1/2-3 hours, flipping the meat halfway through. The meat should be tender enough to peel apart with a fork. Hold the juice to the side and cut the beef down into 1-inch pieces.

For the dough, mix the flour and salt in bowls. (To make the crusts, you will want to divide the ingredients needed for each into two separate bowls.)

Add the butter and cheese for each crust and stir until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Pour 7 tablespoons of beer into each bowl and mix to combine.

Lay each dough on a floured surface and shape each one into a round shape (preferably to the shape of your pie pan) and wrap the dough in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the beef, flour, 1 tsp. kosher salt and a pinch of pepper to taste in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Add the leeks, carrots, and celery to the pot and seasoning with garlic powder and a pinch more salt and pepper.

Cook beef mixture down for 20 minutes on medium high.

Line the pie pan with one of the crusts and pour the beef mixture into the pan.

Pour the stout au jus, from cooking down the beef, over the vegetables; mix in the cheddar cheese.

Top the pie with the second crust, cut some slits into the crust and brush with the beaten egg.